Once in a While
by Don't Smile
Summary: What if Tsuna had a younger twin brother, one that was so much better in everything he did? What if Tsuna hadn't talked in the last five years? Would he still be the Vongola Decimo? ..."I'm glad I decided to check up on you once in a while."
1. Look

**Sigh. The homework was easier than I suspected! :D**

* * *

Chapter 1: Look

...but you never see.

"Ciaossu."

"Ah, Reborn, you're here," an old man greeted the baby hitman, standing up from behind his desk. He looked towards the other man in the room, this one blond and well-built, and said, "Iemitsu, you should do the talking."

"I want you to train the future Decimo," Iemitsu said immediately, obvious pride radiating from his voice. Reborn raised an eyebrow at this.

"Future Decimo? Why should I, I'm not even an ally of Vongola. And who's that supposed to be?" Reborn asked even as the first man, Timoteo, or Nono, handed him a big, brown envelope.

"You'll be payed. Think of it as a favor between friends. And the Decimo is my son," Iemitsu proclaimed as Reborn opened the letter to take out two files, one for the future Decimo, and the other for another boy. "We'll make a contract."

"I thought you had twins," Reborn commented offhandedly as he read the information about Decimo. "Is the other one not worth mentioning?"

Iemitsu flushed red from anger. "Of course not! Tsuna's just so shy, and he's been through so much that I don't want to involve him in the mafia."

"He's going to be involved whether he like it or not if his younger twin brother is becoming a boss, _the_ boss, of the strongest mafia family." Reborn narrowed his eyes at the second file. "What's this? There's so much less info on Sawada Tsunayoshi than the info on Sawada Takenari."

"Nana doesn't talk much about Tsuna," Iemitsu replied stiffly. Reborn hummed in response.

"I thought the older one was supposed to be chosen as the heir. How do you know what the older one is like if you're never home, and your wife doesn't talk much about him? You of all people should know not to judge people by their appearances. Takenari could be acting as the perfect child, but is actually a very cruel person," Reborn frowned, scolding Iemitsu. "I'll judge for myself, and I'll report to Nono if I find out he's unsuitable as the boss. But oh well. I'll go to Japan tomorrow. Book a First Class seat for me. I'll sign the contract tomorrow morning." And with that, Reborn disappeared, leaving a gaping Iemitsu and sighing Timoteo behind.

"Is he saying I chose wrong?" Iemitsu asked, indignant. Timoteo just shook his head.

* * *

_Japan, Sawada Household_

"Na-kun, school's gonna start!"

"Okay, Kaa-san. Dame-Tsuna, you better not hinder me today!"

* * *

_Sasagawa Household_

"Onii-chan, we're gonna be late to school!"

"Don't worry, Kyoko! Your brother will EXTREMELY carry you!"

* * *

_Takesushi_

"Takeshi, remember to help out after school!"

"Ahaha, OK, old man!"

* * *

_Hibari Household_

"Hn."

* * *

_Italy, Gokudera Household_

"Hayato, I made a meal full of love, just for you!"

"Urgh, aneki..."

* * *

_Bovino Family_

"Lambo, I have a mission for you. You listening?"

"Gyahaha! Boss, you've finally accepted my awesomeness, haven't you?"

* * *

_Vindice_

'Ken, Chikusa, I'll definitely destroy the mafia! Just a little longer...'


	2. Explain

**Aha! The chapters are up quicker than I suspected!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Explain

...even if they don't listen.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Tsuna sluggishly patted his alarm clock, looking for the button to stop it. His eyes were stuck closed, too lazy to open, but he forced them opened anyways as soon as the sound stopped. He looked at the clock even though he knew what time it was.

_7:00 A.M._

He always woke up at this time. It was a routine. He'd wake up, help his mother with breakfast, then leave after eating at 7:30, when his brother Nari would wake up.

Nari. His younger twin brother, one who looks nothing like him.

Silky brown hair stuck slick to his skull, half a head taller than Tsuna, narrowed brown eyes that were mostly unreadable, and a straight back and broad shoulders, as though ready to take on whatever life throws him.

_When life throws you lemons, make a lemonade._

Tsuna guessed that was where the saying comes from. Nari was also very popular, very smart, and very athletic. He was the perfect boy, kind and understanding, handsome and modest, the proud son of their father.

But not their mother.

Because they both knew, Tsuna and his mother, that it was all a facade, a mask put up to manipulate the people around him, to charm them into thinking his way. He could probably skip school and still get an A+ if he just talks to the teacher. Yet, Tsuna and their mother, Nana, still hoped that the facade would become the real personality, that the fake would kick out the true one.

It never happened.

They've waited for five years, Tsuna even longer than that, and now even Nana was losing hope.

And during all that musing, Tsuna found himself sitting in front of his desk in the classroom, the clock ticking away.

_7:40 A.M._

* * *

They were curious beings, Reborn mused. He had always thought twins were supposed to be similar. Guess not.

Sawada Takenari, future Decimo, was handsome and kind. The ideal kind of boss Nono was looking for. Compassionate, understanding, smart, athletic... The list goes on. But he couldn't help this uneasy feeling every time he looked at the boss candidate.

Sawada Tsunayoshi, on the other hand, was the opposite. A fluffy, wild mane of brown hair, wide brown eyes that held a curious orange glint in it; almost exactly like the Vongola Primo, except cuter and shorter. Where his brother was talkative, he was quiet. In fact, the report said he became mute five years ago, after a certain incident. No more descriptions were given, except that he was mute because of trauma, not physical conditions. He was wary, nothing like the shy boy Iemitsu talked about. Whenever there was trouble, he'd eye the situation, then turn around, as though deciding it wasn't his problem.

A coward, in the end.

He was pathetic, too. Everything about him, grades, personality, athletic abilities, everything was pathetic. A less-than-ideal kind of boss, but at least he wasn't cruel, nor manipulative. Yet, in the same way Reborn couldn't help the uneasy feeling regarding Takenari, he couldn't help the instant curiosity and subtle fondness that spiked up at the mere sight of Tsunayoshi either.

It was as though his instincts were telling him Nari was a fake, and Tsuna would be better as the boss.

He'd have to investigate further to actually have the evidence to report back to Nono, though. He smirked.

_In the mean time, I'll make it hell for both of them._

* * *

They were in the same class, but even an idiot could see how different everyone treated the twins.

One scorned, the other loved.

It was a simple thing, really; a daily occurrence. Even though all teachers used their surnames, just the tone of the word made it obvious who they were calling.

"Sawada!" they'd bark at Tsuna, malice traced into the word.

"Sawada," they'd call to Nari, like a proud parent calling to his or her son.

It was unnerving how different one word could sound when subjected to different people.

Even during break, it was a never ending hell. Classmates surrounded Nari, who would be standing with Yamamoto Takeshi and Sasagawa Kyoko, two other idols of the school, but none as popular as him.

Students would knock Tsuna's things off the ground, kick his desk, or glare at him when they pass. Then Nari would jump in Tsuna's defense, smiling mockingly at him.

"Guys, you shouldn't do that. He _is_ still my brother, after all." He'd say it as though he didn't want Tsuna to be his older brother, bt no one except Tsuna would notice. The girls would then coo at him, telling him how nice he was, and the boys would laugh and clap his back, yelling out how fortunate Tsuna was to have such a _nice_ younger brother.

"Aww, Nari-kun, you don't have to so nice! I mean, even though he's your _older_ brother, he never did anything to help you!"

"Oi, Dame-Tsuna, aren't ya glad to have such a kind brother? Why aren't _you_ the older one, Nari? Eh?" And then they'd all laugh, Nari trying to stop them from hurting Tsuna too much.

_Bullshit_.

How could they not see the mocking smiles Nari sent him all the while? How could they not hear the undertone of hatred and disgust in his words?

Every time, Tsuna would open his mouth, try to force out a sound, yell out _"No! Why could you not see who he really is? How cruel he can be, how malicious he is? How can you not hear the manipulative tone, the charming words that he speaks, all for the sake of controlling you?"_ but nothing ever comes out. Not a sound, not a whimper.

And then he'll be teased again.

_How ironic, the younger brother using his older brother to gain even more popularity._

* * *

It was after school that the chaos really began. Nari had bumped into an old lady who had been holding a bag of oranges. He turned, surprised, as the oranges scattered across the asphalt and the lady hurried to gather them.

"Oh, I'm very sorry. Let me help you with that." He crouched down, and Tsuna followed suit. He picked up an orange, and in a brief second where his real self took over, squeezed the orange.

It exploded, spraying juice all across the floor. Luckily, no one had been hit by the juice. Nari laughed briefly.

"Oh, deary me. I seemed to have used too much strength." Then, in a bout of maniacal laughter, gathered all the remaining oranges on the ground and squeezed all the oranges. He dropped all the exploded remains one by one in front of the lady's horrified face, then turned and walked away, all the while laughing like the maniac he is.

Tsuna stared at the oranges he had managed to save and handed them to the lady. There were only five, half of what had originally been in the bag, but the old lady just sighed.

"Thank you, young man. Take one for yourself, you look too scrawny for my liking," and the woman walked away with four oranges and mutterings of 'youngsters these days' and 'mental asylums'.

Tsuna stared at the orange in his hand, and impulsively looked towards a bush by the sidewalk. He shrugged and quickly walked away. He knew his mother didn't like spending time alone with Nari.

* * *

Reborn was hard-pressed not to jump when Tsuna looked over at him in the bush. Even as he walked away, Reborn couldn't help but keep his guard up.

What had just happened?

He had seen the way Nari had acted, had heard the laughter that seemed so out of place, and he couldn't help but think that _his suspicions were confirmed_.

Sawada Takenari was not fit to be boss.

But he won't report this yet. He'll wait until he has as much evidence as he needs, even more than that, before slapping them on Iemitsu's face. In the mean time, he'd have to train Nari.

But then what would happen? When he abandons Nari in favor of Tsuna, what would Nari do? He'd have to introduce the mad boss to Dying Will Flames, no doubt, but he was scared of what Nari would do with that power, even if he can't activate the Flames himself. He'd have to find proofs soon to prevent Nari from getting stronger than he had to.

Reborn sighed and headed towards the Sawada's house.

* * *

"Why, hello. Who're you, kid? Are you lost?" the first one to see him was, coincidentally, his official -for now- student, Nari.

"Oh my! What a cute baby!" Sawada Nana exclaimed, while Tsuna, hanging back, stared. He was terrified, Reborn could see, though Reborn had to ask why. Normally, people wouldn't suspect a baby like him.

"I'm the home tutor, Reborn." He frowned when he heard Nari's response.

"Eh? A home tutor? Oh, I see. Well, why don't you run along and play your game somewhere else?" Nari laughed, not the maniacal laughter from before, but a kind of exasperated laughter. Reborn was sure he just wanted to kick him out, but wouldn't in front of his mother.

"Hmph. You have no right to question me, _idiot_. I'm here to tutor Sawada Takenari." Nari rounded on his mother, suddenly frowning.

"Kaa-san, is this the tutor thing you told me about this morning?" Well, duh. "I told you it was a scam. They flyer seemed suspicious from the start." Liar. Reborn had seen the way Nari had accepted it without questioning. He was probably putting on a show to make Reborn see how _awesome_ -as if- he is.

Reborn, not being one to waste time, kicked Nari on the head and closed the door behind him. Nana, at first looking surprised, looked at Reborn with slight approval; though for what, Reborn didn't know. Nari, paralyzed, could only glare at Reborn as Nana handed Tsuna a small hammock and directed Reborn to Nari's room.

After a few minutes, Tsuna arrived at Nari's room with Nari on his back and Reborn at his heel. Nari's room was surprisingly messy, messier than even an average teenager. Clothes and books were ripped, thrown everywhere, and there were scribbles on every space of the walls. Reborn would have thought Nari, in an effort to keep up his facade, would have cleaned his room regularly. Speaking of Nari, he hadn't stopped glaring at Reborn the whole time. It irked him. Who does he think he is?

"Sit down. Your brother should be able to move after a minute or two," Reborn directed Tsuna. The older twin sat uneasily, as though uncomfortable in the room. His terrified eyes had never strayed from Reborn, not even once, and Reborn like the fact that someone in this house was scared of him. After a moment of silence, Reborn began talking about his real intentions on coming here.

"I'm the best hitman in the world, told by a man to train Sawada Takenari. The man is Vongola Nono, the ninth boss of the Vongola Family, the strongest mafia family in the world. Sawada Takenari is to become the Vongola Decimo, the tenth boss of the Vongola Family," Reborn said bluntly, observing the way Tsuna seemed to sag at the explanation, as though having expected it, but had hoped it would never happen. Nari, on the other hand, asked questions.

"The Vongola Family? Why should I get involved in the mafia? I'm not even related them in the first place. Assuming you're speaking the truth, of course," Nari added the last part as though convinced that Reborn was lying. Leon turned into a gun and Reborn turned it towards Nari.

"Of course I'm speaking the truth. I'm the best hitman in the world. And you _are_ related to them, both of you. Your grandfather on your father's side, ten generations back, was the Vongola Primo. He came to Japan when he retired and took on the name of Sawada Ieyasu. You're both directly related to him."

"You sure you're not making it up? I think you've hit your head pretty hard," Nari said even while staring dubiously at Leon. Reborn shot, the bullet grazing Nari's cheek, and smirked as he jumped back.

"I'm sure I'm not making it up. Stop disrespecting your elders." The twins both stared at him dubiously.

"So... I'm going to be the boss of the strongest mafia family?" Nari asked hesitantly and Reborn nodded. "And the world's best hitman is going to train me! I'm going to become the strongest person in the world!"

_Not likely_, Reborn thought. Neither Tsuna nor Reborn missed the crazed, gleeful look that passed by Nari's face. Reborn grimaced. Nari was too easily convinced. He turned to Tsuna and asked, "And you? Got any questions?" even though he knew Tsuna would not, could not talk.

"Oh, don't worry about Tsuna. He's mute. Like, traumatized," Nari said dismissively, as though that was no big deal. It probably wasn't for him.

Reborn sighed but went on explaining about Dying Will Flames and Guardians and their roles. He also told them about how the Vongola was first made to be a vigilante group, organized to protect.

Normally he would have explained these only when Nari needed to know, but he wanted Tsuna to listen as well. It was just a feeling that made him do that. The feeling that has saved his life countless times. And he'll make sure the feeling is right, really right, before reporting to Nono.

Yes, he'll do that. And if Nari goes berserk, well, he'll just have Tsuna stop him. It was the older sibling's role to be a model for the younger one, after all.


	3. Tame the Storm

**Ugh... I hate Physical Ed. -.- Actually it's okay as long as we're not running... Anyways, I feel so loved! Uh... my story feels so loved...**

* * *

Chapter 3: Tame the Storm

...and stand in the center of its eye.

Tsuna had been eating his breakfast at 7:15 in the morning when Nari came running down the stairs with Reborn hot on his trail. He tried not to stare, but the sight of Reborn shooting bullets at his brother was not the easiest thing to ignore. Reborn had been living with them for a few days, and seemed to have decided to start waking Nari up 15 minutes earlier than normal from today.

"Ah, Tsuna! You're still here? When do you go out? You were always out before me in the mornings!" Nari exclaimed, finally settling down at his seat. Tsuna grimaced at the real meaning of his twin's words. _What the hell are you doing here? Get out of my sight immediately, you idiot._ He saw an eyebrow on both his mother and Reborn's faces twitch, but he'd bet anything that Nari didn't notice it.

"Ah, Na-kun, you're the one that's actually up earlier than usual. Tsu-kun usually goes when you wake up!" Nana said cheerfully, but Tsuna knew the translation: _You do NOT insult your older brother, young man. You're the one that wakes up late each morning. Beggars can't be choosers._ Nana wasn't as dense as she looked. Reborn had an unnoticeable smirk on his face as he waited to see how his student would reply.

"Oh, is that so? Ahaha, I never knew that! Well, we'll be going to school together from now on, ne?" Tsuna didn't know if his brother was ignoring their mother or just plain stupid. He'd go for the latter, seeing as Nari definitely did not catch on to the hidden meaning. Reborn facepalmed inwardly.

"No, you'll be leaving early," Reborn cocked his Leon gun at Nari. "A boss is never late." _In other words, he's always early._

"But I was never late! I always arrived right before the bell rang!" Nari scrambled off of his seat to hide under the table. _Not good enough_, Reborn thought.

"I don't care. You are going early, whether you like it or not," Reborn ordered. He'll use this chance to make Nari's life hell, because he's going to hate Reborn either way. "Oh, and before I forget, there's a transfer student from Italy coming to your class today." His smirk made Tsuna shiver, but Nari -no doubt being stupid rather than brave- whined.

"Ehh? Did you call him here? Why do I have to deal with your mess?" _More like Reborn is the one cleaning up your mess,_ Tsuna thought.

"Hmph. Just get going." _And then BANG! Another hole in our wall,_ Tsuna thought idly as he finished his breakfast.

* * *

At school, everyone was busy congratulating Nari. Yesterday, he had beaten the kendo club captain, Mochida, and had saved Sasagawa Kyoko from becoming Mochida's girlfriend. Tsuna noticed that she seemed to blush a lot today around Nari. He supposed she's starting to develop a crush on his twin. Not surprising.

Kyoko was Tsuna's first crush. It happened during fourth grade, and developed because the girl had been nice to him when everyone else was being bullying him. Of course, Tsuna had gotten over the crush over the years, because he knew Nari had set his eyes on her. Poor girl.

Sasagawa Ryohei, the older brother of Kyoko, was very grateful of Nari, and tried to recruit Nari to the boxing club. Nari had been contemptuous and outright refused.

"I'm sorry, sempai, but I don't really have that much time." _Uh huh, right. If you have no time, then who does?_ Tsuna thought sarcastically. But he didn't voice it out; he never did. No one cared, except for his mother.

"Okay, class, settle down now. We have a new transfer student today. Could you please come in, Gokudera-kun?" the teacher said, successfully shutting up all the students. Not that Tsuna needed any shutting up to do in the first place.

The door banged open, causing any and all thoughts to fly out of Tsuna's head. The first coherent thought that came to him after the bang was _Why does anyone bother banging open a sliding door__?_ and the second was _I bet that's going to be Nari's Guardian or whatever the hell it was._

"Che. What the hell? This is supposed to be the Tenth boss?" the sliver haired delinquent-like boy fumed as his eyes landed on Nari, totally dismissing Tsuna. Not that the sliverette would know Tsuna was Nari's twin; they look like two boys with coincidentally the same surname and totally different parents.

Tsuna saw Nari narrow his eyes slightly, an indication that he was very pissed. Only a person who had been living with him for a long time could've spotten the subtle change in his visage and aura. Nana, of course, was still very much clueless about her sons, regardless of the fact that she knew Nari was, is, and will forever be a cruel bastard, so she couldn't read him like Tsuna could.

Tsuna jumped as he was brought out of his reverie by a loud bang caused by Gokudera Hayato kicking down Nari's desk. Nari didn't move even as outcries of shock and rage were being directed towards the offender. Tsuna flinched when Nari finally moved as the fight between Gokudera and their classmates escalated in volume. Luckily the teacher was there to prevent anyone from getting too violent, though that didn't stop Gokudera from pulling out sticks that looked suspiciously like dynamites.

"Calm down, everyone. I'm sure Gokudera-kun had only mistook me for someone else. I can't possibly be a boss, and the 'Tenth boss' business sounds like some yakuza business. Of course I wouldn't be involved in the yakuza, right?" Nari asked sweetly, and immediately everyone except Tsuna and Gokudera began to coo and suck up to him.

"Of course not! Wah, I'm really sorry for blowing up on you, Gokudera! But man, you should look more carefully at the people you assault! I mean, how could our Nari be a yakuza boss? He should be a boss of a huge, successful company!" Many shouts of agreement were heard, and Tsuna felt sick to the stomach. This was only another instance of Nari manipulating people with his words. Sure, the skill took charisma, but Tsuna couldn't help but get the feeling of wanting to barf each time he saw it happen.

"Che," Gokudera scoffed and turned away. Unfortunately, the only free seat in the classroom was the one behind Tsuna, and Tsuna could already feel the glare that would undoubtedly be sent his way the whole day.

* * *

Tsuna didn't even know how he had managed to survive the whole day without spontaneously combusting. As he walked quietly towards his home after school, however, he became very sure that he would die by flames. Literally.

"Reborn-san, you're sure I will become the Tenth Vongola boss if I defeat him, right?" he heard Gokudera's voice ask. Tsuna gulped, suddenly fearing for his life. He quickly hid behind some bushes as he got the front row seats he never asked for of the fight. Very dangerous seats they were, too.

"Of course," came Reborn's childish squeak.

"Reborn, I thought you said only a person with the Vongola's bloodline can inherit the throne," Nari said calmly, but anyone could hear the underlying tone of malice. _What throne?_ Tsuna thought dyly, _Its not like you're becoming a king or anything. The only thing you're inheriting is the position of boss. That's no throne._

"Hmph, don't be stupid. Everyone is related to everyone one way or another." Tsuna couldn't believe how stupid this was. Even though what Reborn said was true, that didn't mean everyone was a descendant of Primo!

In the end, Gokudera was almost killed by his own dynamites, and he only survived because Nari had saved him while being in Dying Will Mode. Reborn had said that according to the mafia's law, losers are supposed to serve the winners, but Tsuna noticed that he didn't say anything about Gokudera having to serve under Nari. In fact, he seemed repulsed at the mere thought of anyone having to serve under Nari.

"Juudaime! Please let me be your right hand man! I swear I will serve you forever and ever!" Gokudera bowed again and again.

A cold, calculative glint came into Nari's eyes, but Gokudera was too busy bowing to notice. Then, Nari smirked cruelly, as though he had decided the bowing boy's worth, but that smirk quickly changed into a kind smile as soon as Gokudera lifted his head.

"But of course. I could really use someone like you in my Famiglia. There's one condition though." As soon as Nari said that, Gokudera's happy face fell as he waited for some kind of reprimand.

"I want you to stop calling me Juudaime. What if somebody here is involved in the mafia? They'll know immediately that I'm to be the tenth boss of some Famiglia. That would be bad, wouldn't it?" Gokudera immediately looked towards Nari as though he was some god.

"Of course! Juudaime-no, ah, Sawada-sama is so smart!" Nari frowned at that title, and Gokudera immediately asked what's wrong. "What's wrong, Sawada-sama? Is there someone I need to kill?"

"Ah, no, Gokudera-kun, could you at least call me Nari? At least until I become the real boss; then you can call me whatever you want." As Gokudera frantically refused, saying he definitely cannot say his boss's name so casually, Nari backed down a little. "Then how about this? You can call me Nari-san or Nari-sama! Just don't call me by my surname. I don't want that idiot to think you were calling him."

"What idiot, Nari-sama? Do you need me to blast him away? Just give the order, and I'll blow him into bits and pieces!" Gokudera exclaimed. Tsuna shuddered at the threat so casually spoken.

"No, no, no. Don't kill him. He's my twin older brother, Sawada Tsunayoshi. He's no good at everything, so he's nicknamed Dame-Tsuna. We look nothing alike, though. He's the guy that sits in front of you, Gokudera-kun." At this, Gokudera's face brightened up in recognition. However, before he could say a word, Reborn cut in. Apparently he thought they've talked too much.

"That's enough. You should get home now. Nari, your mother's going to worry about you, and Gokudera, you should replenish your stock and get some sleep. You didn't sleep at all on the plane, did you?" At Reborn's words, the three boys at the scene seemed to realize how the sun was setting in the horizon. While Gokudera and Nari were busy saying goodbyes, Tsuna slipped out noiselessly from the bush, unaware of the big black eyes trained on him.

* * *

"Maman," Reborn called. It was after dinner, the boys were upstairs doing their homework, and Nana was washing the dishes in the kitchen. Luckily, Nari had leisurely walked home while Tsuna ran home, giving Tsuna ample time to act like he'd been home the whole time Nari stayed at school.

"Ah, Reborn-chan! What brings you here? Do you want some more dessert?" Nana asked, drying her hands off on her apron.

"No," Reborn said even as he took the pudding from Nana's hands. "I just wanted to ask you if the twins had been this way since they were small." Of course, he didn't need to define 'this way', because Nana was sure to understand.

She looked down at the empty sink, as though contemplating whether or not to tell it. However, Reborn knew she was just searching for the words to describe the twins.

"I don't know if they've been like that forever, but... I've only been aware of it since about five years ago." She gained a faraway expression, as though reliving the moment from five years ago.

"The incident where Tsuna lost his ability to speak, correct?" Reborn asked. Nana turned to him, surprised.

"I was not aware you knew of that, Reborn-chan," she spoke in sad way.

"I'm not. All I know is that something happened five years ago that traumatized Tsuna."

"Well, it happened during the summer vacation of their second year in elementary school. Tsu-kun had always been bullied because he was very shy, but Na-kun, since he was so popular, always defended Tsu-kun. But now I'm wondering if he was just mocking Tsu-kun... Anyways, Tsu-kun got called out by some bullies, and they took him to the forest beside the park. Deep in the center of the forest, there is an empty well. It's just there for historical purposes. All the water had been dried off through time. However, it rained really hard the day before, so the well was half filled with water.

"The bullies played a game to see who can make Tsu-kun cry out first, and they beat him so much Tsu-kun lost his voice. In the end, they tied Tsu-kun onto a small boulder, small enough to fit inside the well, and pushed Tsu-kun into the well. The well was pretty deep, so of course Tsu-kun couldn't swim up, what with the boulder and all. I found Tsu-kun just before he drowned, and I hauled him up with the rope tied onto the bucket of the well. Thankfully he was still conscious enough to hold onto the rope.

"The bullies, of course, ran away when I came, but they were all laughing like they'd done something good. Luckily, there was no permanent damage to Tsu-kun's body, but the game the bullies played before pushing him down the well traumatized him. When Na-kun heard what happened, he... This was what he said, _Tsuna, you're traumatized for something so small? If you can't even stand this kind of thing, you don't deserve to live. I'm ashamed to have you as an older brother. We don't even look alike. Dame-Tsuna, don't you ever taint my reputation with your name._"

She snorted, as though as she couldn't believe how stupid she was. _That's probably true_, Reborn mused.

"How could I ever have thought Takenari loved Tsu-kun? I can't believe I've never seen it before. And Iemitsu, whenever he comes home, whenever the hell that is, he never ever doubts Na-kun. He always ignores Tsu-kun. At first I thought that was because he was awkward, but even if you were awkward, you'd still ask for _some_ information on your son, right? You'd have thought he'd at least be concerned about Tsu-kun's well-being. Yet, every time he calls, it's always _How's Nari? What did my precious son get a prize on? How many new friends did he make? Is he eating well? Is he as athletic as ever? Is he still as handsome as ever?_ He speaks as though he forgot he even had an older son. I may love him, but I love Tsu-kun even more."

She smiled sadly at the sink. "Sometimes I wonder, had Iemitsu always been home like a perfectly normal father, would our family be perfect, just like I had imagined it? I wonder if it's because of the incident five years ago, but I think my love for Iemitsu is diminishing. If Na-kun is ashamed of calling Tsu-kun his brother, I'm ashamed to call Na-kun my son! I regret marrying Iemitsu, but I'll never regret conceiving Tsu-kun! He's the only thing I have left in this ridiculous world."

They were both silent for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. Nana felt a weight off her chest as she finally admitted regretting the marriage and being ashamed of Nari. Reborn was now even surer than ever that Nari was not suited to be the boss.

"Thank you for sharing this with me, Maman," Reborn finally said. As he turned to walk away, however, he was stopped by Nana's voice.

"Reborn-chan, help Tsu-kun regain his voice, would you? I know you can do it. Call it a mother's intuition." Reborn smirked. Of course he'd do that. Tsuna was selected by him, the world greatest hitman, to be the next Vongola boss, after all.

"Will do."

* * *

**Ah. I'm not sure if you guys like that. This story is going to have some Iemitsu bashing, and Nana is definitely not going to be as dense as she was in canon. I've never like Iemitsu that much in the first place...**


	4. Catch the Rain

**I've become friends with Red Crow and Msdgirl...**

* * *

Chapter 4: Catch the Rain

...and see the difference between it and tears.

"Good morning, Juu- Nari-sama! Let's go to school, shall we?" was the first thing Tsuna heard when Nari had opened the door.

He heard an irate sigh follow, and he knew what was going to happen next.

"Gokudera-kun, I told you to call me Nari, right? I'm surprised no one's become suspicious yet." _Probably because no one is involved in the mafia_, Tsuna thought, rolling his eyes. _Still, it IS a wonder how Kurokawa hadn't become suspicious. Probably something to do with Kyoko-chan._

Kurokawa Hana was the smartest girl in their class. She was also generally very observant, especially concerning anything she considers suspicious. And normally, anything she considers suspicious ends up being suspicious. The only person who can hold her back is Sasagawa Kyoko, her best friend.

They make a good balance, Tsuna mused. The overly suspicious Kurokawa can be held back by Kyoko, and Kyoko can avoid being taken advantage of by listening to Kurokawa. Of course, it doesn't necessarily work everytime, but it works enough.

"Have a safe trip, Na-kun!" he faintly heard his mother say. He saw from the window how Nari sighed like he was annoyed and gave a half hearted wave without even looking back. Ungrateful little bastard.

"Tsu-kun, why don't you get ready? There's still about five minutes before you have to go," Nana reminded her son.

Ever since Nari started leaving early, Tsuna had taken up the habit of leaving at 7:20. At first he was reluctant to leave his mother so early, but after some reassurances from Nana and more-than-some threats from Reborn, he had relented. That didn't mean he liked having to leave so early. He didn't even know why Reborn insisted on him going earlier than he normally does.

"Have a safe trip, Tsu-kun," his mother said, hugging him. He hugged back fiercely, because he could never be sure when he would see his mother again. He had always had that problem since he was small, always wondering if people would start going away and never coming back. He supposed it came from his father never being home, and it only became worse since the... discovery a few years ago.

_I'll be going then, Kaa-san_, Tsuna thought in his head as he gave his mother a brief smile. It wasn't anything abnormal, but it seemed to make Nana's smile grow bigger.

* * *

It was during lunch break that he heard the terrible news: _Yamamoto Takeshi's going to jump down the building!_ Seemingly the whole student population ran up the stairs, wanting to stop the popular baseball player.

The students, all standing behind an invisible line, shouted to Yamamoto not to jump. Tsuna stayed at the very back, because he was sure Nari was going to come and save the day. Don't ask how he knew, he just did. So, he wasn't worried when Yamamoto climbed over the fence, teteering dangerously on the edge.

True enough, Nari came a second later, bursting through the crowd. He yelled at Yamamoto, asking if he knew how his father would feel if he found out his only son commited suicide. He told Yamamoto, in an overly desparate and in other words fake voice, about how he would become if one of his best friends died. He talked on and on about how Yamamoto's death would impact everyone, all the students and teachers, and all the other people in town. Tsuna doubted if everyone in town knew of Yamamoto Takeshi.

In the end, though, Yamamoto was persuaded not to jump, and climbed over the fence with weak legs. His arm, still in a cast, was hugged protectively to his chest, as if to prevent further wounds on the bone.

Afterschool, Yamamoto, Nari, and Gokudera walked home together, with the two new, loyal friends having a one-sided argument. Tsuna was, of course, left to the other side of the road. He didn't even know why he had even bothered walking with those three, as he knew he would have been treated as if he wasn't there. Even the friendly Yamamoto made no attempts to invite Tsuna into their conversation.

Right before Gokudera and Yamamoto had to leave Nari, Yamamoto grabbed Nari by one shoulder and looked at him seriously in the eyes. "I should have listened to you," he said, then smiled and left, as if he had never said anything.

As Gokudera ranted on about how his Nari-sama is always correct, Tsuna thought back on the incident. Two days ago, which meant three days after Gokudera came to the school, Tsuna had made his team lose a game in Physical Ed. Of course, he was forced to stay after and clean up alone, but his brother stepped in and offered to help, all the while with a mocking smile on his face. And of course Nari belonged to the team that won.

Right after that, Yamamoto volunteered to help as well, looking like he needed to talk to someone, anyone, but of course preferrably Nari. The two boys were then hailed as the selfless heroes who were willing to sacrifice their precious time to help an ungrateful, useless guy that didn't deserve their kindness. Tsuna had wondered idly how popular a fictional novel would be if his classmates wrote it together.

When he had left briefly to get the equipments back into the storage room, which was on the other side of the gym, Yamamoto had started talking about his baseball insecurities. The gym was not small, but it also wasn't large enough that a person could not hear another person on the other side when there was nothing else to make any noise. Tsuna had wondered if Yamamoto didn't know this or had simply, conveniently, forgotten Tsuna's existence.

Yamamoto had told Nari, and inadvertently Tsuna, on how his baseball skills seemed to take a leave, and how he had disappointed the team. Nari had commented that baseball was a group sport, so if his teammates were disappointed in him, they would try to hone their skills into perfection. He had also told Yamamoto that sometimes, things do happen, obstacles do appear, but if one overcomes them all, he becomes a much better in what he does. Tsuna had thought those were all great advises before Nari, with a scathing note underneath his kind words, had told Yamamoto, in a roundabout way, that his dilemma was not an obstacle in life, and that he simply had to practice more.

The next day, Yamamoto had come in with a broken arm. The day after that, today, he had tried to commit suicide, all because of the last remark that Nari had made. And so, he could not understand how things would have been better if Yamamoto had listened to Nari. In his mind, things had happened this way _because_ Yamamoto had taken Nari's words into heart. But of course, that was just his opinion.

* * *

After that incident, Yamamoto had become even closer to Nari, and everyone began thinking he and Gokudera were Nari's best friends, the ones who understood him the most. Yet, only Tsuna could see how far the distance was between the two supposedly best friends and Nari. Oh, he was sure the two knew, in a way, that they did not understand Nari as well as the others claimed them to have. However, they had yet to realize just how far they were from understanding Nari.

Nari, in order to manipulate people, had to keep all people away from him emotionally and mentally. Physically, of course, Yamamoto and Gokudera were the closest people to him, in fact they were the only people who had the permission to stand so close to him, but they were the furthest away from understanding him. They thought of Nari as the kind friend who could lead anyone to a peaceful victory, which was the exact opposite of the kind of person Nari is. The only person who could possibly understand Nari as well as Tsuna could was probably Reborn.

That didn't mean they agreed with him. In fact, they thought he was the worst person alive, and Reborn had seen a lot. Reborn had yet to identify all the small twitches of Nari's body, though he had seen all of them. He, though unable to truly read minds, had already interpretted most of the body language. Even the best actor in the world could not fool Reborn, and what makes Nari think he could?

Reborn, though, was now in a process of digging information from Nana, albeit in a subtle way, using curious words and lacing them with concern.

"Maman, was Tsuna always this weary? A teenage boy like him shouldn't have to be so worried about the world."

Nana sighed. Of course she knew that, but how was she supposed to know if Tsu-kun had always been this weary if she had never payed close attention to him? Though, come to think of it...

"I think there was a time three years ago that Tsu-kun had been acting strangely. He just jumped at every noise, not that he never did that before, but there was really no serious bullying incident that caused that reaction." Reborn would have dismissed that idea as Nana not knowing a lot about Tsuna if it hadn't been for the next sentences. "He was also realy touchy. He hugged me a lot, and he always hugged and looked at me as though I was going to disappear any second, and not in the way Iemitsu disappeared. He always did have doubts that people are going to just up and leave. No, he looked at me as though I was going to... leave the world any second, and he, well, he was just really paranoid at the time. He checked every place in the house, every corner, all the walls and floors and stairs. Sometimes he'd look really shaken after a search, and sometimes he'd look just plain tired, in a relieved way." Nana shook her head as though to get rid of the memories of that time.

Reborn thanked her for confiding in him and asked where he looked specifically, and which places caused him to look shaken. She said there were many places, but the one she remembered clearly was the bathroom by the living room.

He quickly went into the bathroom and searched all the places available, even behind the toilet, but couldn't find it. Just as he was about to go out, his intuition spiked, causing him to stare at the door. No, there was nothing on the door, but maybe there's something by the hinges.

True enough, right beside the bottom hinge, there was a crack in the wall. It was too straight to be natural, and the more Reborn observed, the more he saw.

The crack outlined a rectangle about the sized of two of an adult's palms stuck together horizontally, and it was about a palm's size high. Reborn pushed the rectangle slightly and heard an ominous click. The rectangle flipped open to reveal a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Reborn was sure Iemitsu had put those in, and that there were much, much more in the house. He felt a hot, boiling rage rising up inside him. How could anyone be so stupid as to put guns in a civilian's house?

Reborn was suddenly very sure that these guns were the reasons why Tsuna hadn't seemed surprised by his explanation about them, Tsuna and Nari, being in the mafia. He resolved to confront Tsuna tomorrow, or even later, when the twins come back home.


	5. Attract the Lightning

**I feel like my chapters are getting shorter and shorter... But it can't be helped, you know? :D No, I guess you don't know... And this is one sucky chapter...**

* * *

Chapter 5: Attract the Lightning

...with food(?).

Tsuna nodded at his mother, who was standing at the doorway. This soundless communication seemed to discourage Nana from doing her best, and Tsuna knew this. It was a reminder of the incident five years ago, which Nana still blames herself for. Although Tsuna would have normally been occupied with these thoughts during the whole walk to school, today he was more occupied with the conversation from yesterday. The one with Reborn.

Reborn had confronted him right after he had come home. Tsuna had been dragged to his room literally by his ear, and he had almost squeaked in pain. It was a good thing Nari wasn't home yet, or else Tsuna was sure his twin would have kicked up a fuss. Nari just didn't like it when people in their household, with no obvious malicious intent, made any contact with Tsuna. Nari seemed to think that everyone favored Tsuna over himself, which was ridiculous, really. Well, Nana might favor Tsuna, but Reborn? No way, never happening. At least that's what Tsuna thought.

* * *

_"So, Tsuna, I just wanted to ask you some questions," Reborn started after a few seconds of silence. Tsuna eyed him warily, cautiously nodding agreement. "Is this the reason why you didn't seem to be surprised when I told you your father was in the mafia?" Well, Reborn hadn't exactly told them Iemitsu was in the mafia, but it was implied in the whole explanation. Very obviously implied. Not that Nari caught the implication. But still very obvious._

_Reborn had thrown down the pistol he had found in the bathroom, but it didn't surprise Tsuna, not really. Tsuna had known that one day, someone was going to find those guns, and of course if someone can find them, Reborn can. Reborn wasn't just someone, he was Reborn. Still, Tsuna had been a little surprised. He had thought it would take Reborn much more time to find these. He nodded at Reborn's question, even though they both knew Reborn knew the answer._

_Reborn sighed. "Did you know? Or did you suspect?" he asked. When Tsuna started scrambling for papers and pens, Reborn added, "You can use sign language, can't you?" Tsuna frowned and made an attempt at sign language._

I know sign language, but I haven't practiced it in a...big time? _Tsuna tilted his head as he concentrated on the right signs. Reborn nodded. It wasn't perfect, but it was understandable._

_"Well? Did you know, or did you suspect?" Reborn repeated his earlier question, bringing Tsuna back on topic._

I...sustained? Suspected, _Tsuna gave a satisfied nod as he remembered the right symbol. _It was pretty...easy to connect the...dots. He's always gone for a...long time. It was a plaus...plausible explanation.

_"Hmm. I see. Last question: Where did you learn sign language?" Reborn asked. He didn't think Nari was aware of this._

I bought some books. Took me three years to be able to hold a conversation, though,_ Tsuna gave a bitter smile. He didn't like how long he had to take to do such an easy thing._

_"You didn't have anyone to help you? And Maman didn't know you knew sign language?" Reborn asked, and Tsuna nodded. Then, Reborn thought, it was more likely than not that most of the time was spent on hiding the books from Nana and Nari, who would no doubt barge into Tsuna's room unannounced. It was a remarkable feat on Tsuna's side that no one else found out._

_"I'll tutor you," Reborn decided. "I'll help you with your studies. We're starting with Math on Saturday, so be ready." He vanished into the hallway before Tsuna could even protest. He wanted to see how long Tsuna would take to catch up on his peers. Besides, this was the perfect chance to groom the future Decimo. In his mind, Tsuna was already the Vongola Decimo._

* * *

Friday went by far too quickly for Tsuna's liking. He had been dreading being tutored by Reborn. He had heard the numerous gunshots in Nari's room everytime Nari got one question wrong. He didn't know that Reborn was only using that as an excuse to shoot Nari. In fact, he shot Nari even when the fake Decimo got the question right, using the excuse that Nari had been too slow to solve the question.

Nari and his two subordinates stayed after school to help a teacher, and Tsuna rushed home, wanting to help his mother prepare dinner. He passed by a pretty lady with pink hair by the vending machine, and he couldn't help but think about her the whole day. No, it wasn't because she was pretty, it was because he had a feeling that something was going to happen very soon, something that involves the lady and his, or better yet, Nari's family. He shook his head and rid himself of the thought as he got ready for bed.

Saturday came quickly. In fact, Tsuna thought the conversation between him and Reborn happened just yesterday. Actually, the conversation happened two days ago, but it was close enough.

Tsuna had ran upstairs right after breakfast, scared that Reborn would be angry if he was too slow. Reborn was already sitting on Tsuna's bed when Tsuna slammed his bedroom opened, panting. Reborn had half a mind to chastise Tsuna on his behavior, because a mafia don never slammed a door open, no matter how big of a situation he was in, but held back.

They made quick work of what little time they had. Reborn first assessed the level Tsuna was at and gave quick, easy explanations on the concepts Tsuna didn't get. He knew he had to go easy on Tsuna and not force him by gunpoint like he did with his previous students, because Tsuna was more likley to flourish with positive praise. And so, Reborn made small noises of approval whenever Tsuna got the right answer. Despite Reborn's poker face, Tsuna caught the silent praise and sat a little straighter and wrote with a little more confidence with each right answer. Even when he got a question wrong, Reborn didn't shoot a bullet, instead going over the question with Tsuna and giving little hints here and there. Tsuna was a really good student, because he soaked up everything like a sponge, and by the end of one hour, Tsuna was able to get at least 80% of the school's material correct. It helped that middle school material was almost a repeat of elementary school material.

It was then that the the front door slammed opened and Nari announced to the whole world his arrival. Reborn sighed in both annoyance and relief. Even though he hated unnecessarily loud noises, he was still glad that Nari yelled out an "I'm home!" to give Reborn and Tsuna more time to hide any evidence of tutoring. In seconds, Tsuna had cleared off the desk, stashing all the papers in a hidden compartment in the bottom drawer, where Reborn caught a glimpse of _Sign Language for Beginners_.

"We'll get to Science next. Be ready," Reborn said, jumping down from the desk. "Oh, by the way, I suggest you take a nap in the afternoon so that you're awake enough for our lesson." He knew Tsuna caught the hidden meaning right away. _We're having our lesson after Nari falls asleep, so catch some z's while you can._

Tsuna nodded and rushed downstairs as Nari demanded why only his mother was greeting him. Reborn grimaced. How arrogant could Sawada Takenari be? He didn't want to know. Oh, if only he could kill the prick for good... But a dream is merely a dream. Nono would never forgive him, even if the old boss agreed that Nari should die. Which might actually happen, if he meets Nari. Maybe Reborn could arrange a chance meeting between the two...

"Reborn! Why didn't you greet me?" Nari asked -demanded- after he threw his school bag on the floor. Reborn, sipping his espresso, looked out the window. It was still light, meaning there's enough time for another session of playing tutor.

"Oi, take out your textbook. The English one," Reborn hopped down from the desk, totally ignoring Nari's first question. Reborn smirked inwardly as Nari seethed; English was Nari's weakest subject, and this would give Reborn numerous chances to shoot Nari. It helped that the lessons Reborn were tutoring on were way above Nari's level, or in fact any middle school student's level. It was impossible Nari to learn a single thing from those lessons, because Nari lacked the knowledge that went between the basics and university levels. Reborn never gave clues, either. Reborn cackled madly internally, but kept his poker face on the outside.

Just as they were about to get started, the doorbell rang, and Nana, who was still busy with laundry, asked her sons to get the door. Nari walked leisurely down the stairs while Tsuna followed silently behind, but was actually wishing his brother would hurry up so that he could go over the things he learned from Reborn. He still didn't get all of the content, though he did improve a great lot. He supposed he should thank whoever was stupid enough to decide that more than half of each school year's content will be a repeat from the previous school years.

"Yes?" Nari answered the door grumpily. Tsuna wasn't even sure he wanted to know why Nari was angry. Shouldn't he be glad to get away from Reborn's hellish 'tutoring'?

A beautiful woman with long pink hair and orange goggles stood outside the door with a box of pizza in her hands. "Pizza delivery! Thank you very much for purchasing!" she sang out happily, shoving the box into Nari's hands. Tsuna instinctually backed into the living room, still keeping an eye on the scene. There can be nothing good coming out of this, especially when the woman was so enthusiastic in giving out free pizza.

Reborn immediately jumped and kicked the box into the road, where the pizza spilled out. However, the pizza was giving off purple smoke and the topping was some weird wiggly thing that Tsuna definitely did not want to know the ingredients of.

The smoke killed three crows flying overhead, and Tsuna was instantly more grateful of Reborn's quick reaction. Though he did have to wonder, how had he known that the pizza was poisonous? Was it one of those 'best hitman of the world' things? And where the hell was the lady?

Reborn gave a smirk as he confirmed who the person was. Hm, he would have to give her a call and persuade her to join him in tortu- no, tutoring Nari. Of course, he'll have to intervene before she could give any lasting damage, but only for the physical injuries. Everyone knows that Nari would change by the time Reborn was done with him, so he could attribute Nari's newly found fear of the color purple to one of those, ah, changes. The trauma wouldn't hinder him much in his future, so...

* * *

The days passed by quickly. Bianchi, the pink-haired lady, became a new addition in their family after many assissination attempts (that didn't stop even now) and had come to accept (not really) the fact that Nari was Reborn's student and that Reborn had to stay in Japan until the job's done. Therefore, the attempts were less harmful on the body and more traumatic on the mind now, and besides, she got to see her precious brother, Hayato, everyday if she wished to.

She had also noticed the strange tension between Nari and Tsuna but had refrained from commenting. Instead, she treated them both fairly (tried to, actually) and stopped many of Nari's outbursts by knocking him out with food... poisonous ones. In fact, Bianchi came to really like Tsuna due to his manners and thoughtfulness. Tsuna was the one to help her unpack when she moved in and the one to show her around the neighborhood.

On one particular day, Tsuna half dragged in a 10 years old boy with black wavy hair. Apparently, the boy had fainted from hunger in front of their house. Bianchi, ignoring Tsuna's silent protests, decided to cook a meal for the boy. The boy's eyes immediately snapped open at the smell of food and devoured Bianchi's poisonous feast without even noticing how it looked like. The boy choked on the fifth dish and almost fainted before Tsuna patted his back hard made the boy spit all the food out. A cup of water was passed between them and the boy finally introduced himself. It was at that time that Nari came doen the stairs and blinked at the sight of a newly introduced Bovino Lambo.

"What's this kid doing here?" he demanded, avoiding the use of his scornful voice in front of Bianchi. She didn't really know what kind of person he was as Nari had never hurt Tsuna in front of her and Tsuna had stopped Reborn from telling her.

"He fainted in front of the house, so Tsuna brought him in," Bianchi answered, giving Nari a weird look. Tsuna thought that perhaps she was realizing who Nari is underneath his mask.

Nari gave Tsuna a short but no less hateful glare that Bianchi noticed before giving her a cursory glance and turning towards Lambo. "Well, now that you're awake, you can go," Nari said and went to drag the boy up before Reborn intervened.

"Wait," Reborn said, again appearing from seemingly nowhere and Tsuna observed the way Lambo's eyes lit up.

"You! I've come to kill you! Prepare to die, Reborn!" Lambo screamed, taking out a grenade from his hair - Tsuna blinked - and throwing it to Reborn's general direction. Reborn gave a snort before kicking the grenade out the window.

"What, so you know him?" Nari asked, crossing his arms. Tsuna distinctly heard Bianchi mutter a 'There's nothing Reborn doesn't know' before Reborn answered.

"He's from the Bovino Family, a low ranking mafia famiglia."

"That's right! I'm Bovino Lambo, Lambo di Bovino, and I have come to assassinate the greatest hitman, Reborn!" Lambo proclaimed, his chest puffed out proudly. _Wait, you're proud that Reborn is right about your famiglia? And, well, this assassination isn't working very well, isn't it? What with you coming and yelling it to the world, you know..,_ Tsuna thought, and apparently Bianchi thought the same thing.

"That's not working out very well, is it?" Bianchi rolled her eyes. Reborn smirked and Nari muffled a laugh while Lambo glared indignantly.

"So what! It's not my style to creep up behind people and kill them in their sleep!"

"Not that you could creep up behind Reborn and kill him in his sleep, nevermind awake." Once again, Bianchi said Tsuna's thoughts out loud. Reborn nodded sagely as though they weren't talking about him.

"I agree," Reborn said, stroking his imaginary beard. "I am much too strong for you to even dream about killing me." Nari smirked as Lambo seethed at this undeniable fact.

Nari opened his mouth to add his two cents in when Nana opened the door and interrupted the cruel but undoubtedly funny teasing. Bianchi explained the situation (she said that Lambo came to find Reborn, which was true, but left out the assassination part) and Nana offered to take in Lambo. Lambo had since then started calling her Mama.

And that was how Nari met his - temporary - Lightning Guardian.

* * *

**I've changed how they met and Lambo's age. I-pin is also going to be 10 and Fuuta is going to be 12. I didn't really like 5 years old Lambo...**


	6. What is Wind?

**Hehehe... So hi guys, I'm not dead! I just couldn't get this chapter out because I just remembered there was I-pin, and since I never had a detailed plot to follow, I didn't know how to write it... In fact, I only planned to follow the manga through the major arcs and let Tsuna have all his Guardians in one of them, and then maybe add another arc or two for closure... Arcs that I don't even know will be about... Ehehe...**

**And people who're glad that Tsuna at least has Lambo, well, you should be glad because originally I wanted Nari to have ALL the Guardians, even Hibari and Mukuro. But then I thought, it's awkward for Lambo to suddenly change who he likes most, especially since in this fic he's a ten year old. Gokudera and Yamamoto are okay because Gokudera is just like that and Yamomoto can just apologize without feeling awkward at all... So I just gave Lambo to Tsuna. And then I thought Hibari will never like Nari because Hbari's smart and can see through Nari's words of deceit, but he'll think Tsuna is too herbivorous, so he'll be neutral-y. So will Mukuro, but only because he also knows that Nari is a lying jerk and wants to use both Nari and Tsuna to control Vongola. But of course we all know that they will become Tsuna's Guardians in the end. :D**

**Also, the reason why Nari hates Tsuna so much will be revealed who-knows-when, but the reason is really lame, nothing special, no flashy fights in the past or anything. But it's also very realistic. Except I dunno when I'll reveal it. In time, I guess. :D**

* * *

Chapter 5: What is Wind?

...The effect of flapping wings(what?).

"Lambo! I need to go to school! I don't have time for this!" Nari shouted with a rarely seen scowl on his face. His action was justified to most people, however, because the Lightning Giardian in question was telling his boss to help clean up the table.

"It doesn't even take five minutes! Look, even Tsuna-nii is doing it! I bet he's been doing it forever, unlike you! Besides, it's common etiquette to clean up after your own mess, Baka-Nari," Lambo was scowling as well, which surprised Tsuna. Tsuna had thought Lambo was a spoiled ten year old, especially since he was apparently going to take over his old famiglia, the Bovino Family. However, it seemed that he was unusually stubborn on people having manners and would even fight his beloved(?) Nari-nii for it.

"Why are you calling me Baka-Nari and Tsuna Tsuna-_nii_?" Nari's scowl only got more pronounced when he heard that. "Besides, why do you even care about common etiquette? It's not like it's going to make any difference! Look, the table's already clean now!"

"Exactly! Our fight took longer than cleaning the table, yet you still stand around shouting at me! I thought you said you didn't have time for this! And I call you Baka-Nari because you're stupid, and I call Tsuna-nii Tsuna-_nii_ because he acts like an older brother, unlike you!" Lambo's voiced rised to match Nari's own raised voice.

Tsuna stood by the side not knowing what to do while Reborn sat on his chair with a smirk. Nana had only peeked out from the kitchen once with a seemingly smug smile and gone back to washing the last dish and Bianchi had gone out before breakfast to look for new ingredients.

It seemed that in the span of two days Lambo had already claimed Tsuna as his new favorite brother. Of course he defended himself by saying Nari had originally refused to let him in while Tsuna took him in without even questioning why he was in front of their house, and that he had caught Nari making fun of Tsuna using mockingly loving words("He's much smarter than the adults here," Reborn had said, amazed). Of course, both reasons were valid, but Tsuna couldn't help but wonder how Lambo knew Nari was mocking him...

"Argh! Whatever, you stupid cow! I'm going now, Kaa-san!" Nari yelled towards the kitchen. He ran out before he even heard Nana reply with a faint "OK, Na-kun."

"Tsuna-nii! Why are you letting him boss you around? You're so much better than him!" Lambo whined, mixing in a childish temper tantrum with a mature(is it?) reasoning. Tsuna gave an apologetic smile and a shrug, indicating that he didn't care.

"You shouldn't be apologizing to the cow. In fact, you shouldn't be apologizing to anyone. If anything, Baka-Nari should be the one to apologize," Reborn said from his seat while Lambo nodded furiously. They, along with Nana and on rare cases, Bianchi, were the only ones to ever see his smiles.

Tsuna sighed and took out a piece of paper, proceeding to write on it. _He's still my little brother_, he wrote. The other two and Nana, who had finally come out of the kitchen, frowned.

"That doesn't mean he can boss you around, Tsu-kun. Remember, while he's still your little brother, you're also still his older brother. An older brother is supposed to tell his little brother what's right or wrong, OK? So you should tell him that manipulating people is wrong, and that he should stop bullying people. I try telling him off, but I don't think he gets it. Oh, what did I do wrong in raising him? If only he were a bit more like you...," Nana sighed.

Tsuna shook his head and wrote, _Don't be sad, Kaa-san. And I'd rather he not be like me, because every person should be different. I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong._ Nana could only smile sadly at her son before noticing the time.

"Oh my, Tsu-kun, you usually go five minutes earlier than this!" she said playfully because she knew her son would have ample time to reach school. Tsuna sighed and shook his head at his mother's antics but smiled nevertheless. He gestured Lambo to come with him, because he'll be dropping his honorary little brother off at the elementary school not far from Namimori Middle.

"Wait just a minute, Tsuna-nii! I'll go grab my bag!" Lambo yelled while running up the stairs for the bag in the room he and Tsuna now shared. Tsuna shook his head at Lambo; the child should have just brought it down with him earlier.

"I totally agree, Tsuna," Reborn said with a smirk. Lambo, who came down in time to hear that, rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, Tsuna-nii, we're gonna be late!" Lambo teased even though he knew they had ample time to walk to school.

* * *

Lunch time came quickly. Tsuna was thankfully able to get most of what the teacher was talking about, even answering a few questions by writing on the board, which surprised all of them. Nari had scowled unnoticeably, a simple turn at the corner of his lips and a brief baring of his teeth when Tsuna passed by him. He had looked remarkably like a dog, Tsuna recalled.

"A pathetic one, you mean," said Reborn, coming out of yet another one of his secret bases located in the school. Tsuna, after the initial shock went away, allowed the hitman to sit on his head.

They were now sitting on top of the roof of a room on the roof(HAHA! MIND-F*CK! :D). The so-called room was actually the entrance to the stairs, sealed off by four walls(psh. yeah, like, no shit), with one wall having a steel ladder on the exterior for anyone who wants to go to the very top(lol. in the literal sense, guys. not top of the world or anything). Unfortunately, most of the space was occupied by two gigantic water tanks, so barely anyone bothered climbing up. Nor did anyone bother looking up.

Which was why Tsuna was so glad to have water tanks as his company as the door sealing the stairs suddenly banged open and revealed an irate Gokudera Hayato looking around for imaginary enemies. When it was clear that none were in sight(yeah, like seriously, i bet all enemies ambush you by saying hi right in front of you first), he let Nari go on but bared his teeth and hissed like a cat to Yamamoto, who only laughed at him. Just as Gokudera started to open his mouth to yell, though, Nari put a hand on his arm, a surprising gesture of comfort(i think i'm high).

"Come on, guys, let's eat lunch," Nari said, walking away from Gokudera who had gone from an angry cat to a loyal dog in an instant.

Just as they had settled down by the fence, the door slammed open once more, this time by a small girl no older than ten. Her hair, tied in a single braid, swished around as she moved her head to and fro, finally stopping at the sight of Nari.

"You!" she yelled, pointing at Nari. "My target! I-pin will take you down and find master!"

"What's wrong with this kid?" Gokudera mumbled, baring his teeth.

"Ah! It's you! The stupid brat from this morning!" Nari suddenly stood up after a moment of contemplative silence. "I still haven't forgiven you for that!"

"Ahaha, so you know this kid, Nari?" Yamamoto asked, apparently finding this very funny.

"Didn't Juudaime just say so? Damn baseball idiot," Gokudera glared in response.

"No, I don't know her, Yamamoto. I met her this morning and she did this weird body control thing on me, for no reason!" Nari exclaimed, sounding very miffed. Gokudera, as expected, starting placating him and swearing at the girl simultaneously, as only he could do, while Yamomoto laughed and asked for a replay.

Tsuna looked at Reborn questioningly. Didn't the three of them walk together this morning?

"Yamamoto had baseball practice, and Gokudera accidentally saw Bianchi walking down the street just beside our house, so no, they did not walk together," Reborn answered in a small enough voice that ensured the four people below them can't hear the two.

"I-pin kill target!" The little girl's voice pulled them back into the conversation/fight going on and making Tsuna stare at the bun in her hand.

"You'd best not underestimate her, Tsuna," Reborn smirked as he prayed for a good show. He looked on as I-pin tried to kill Nari and decided reluctantly to intercede before things got too serious. Vongola still needed the fake heir, after all. So did he, actually, but just for a while so that Tsuna can get stronger.

"The technique is called Gyoza Kempo, a martial arts style that uses the garlic scent from the Gyoza bun to control the opponent's movements," Reborn said, jumping down from Tsuna's head to in front of everyone, somehow looking like he emerged another hiding place.

"Ah, Reborn! Quick, save me!" Nari yelled from midair as he did another back flip followed by a somersault.

"Hmph. The future Decimo shouldn't be so weak, Nari," Reborn snorted with contempt. However, as soon as he said that, he caught Tsuna's eyes that pleaded him to help Nari and decided to indulge both twins for once. "You should be grateful, Baka-Nari."

All in all, this was a very eventful day.

* * *

"Ah, who's this?" Nana exclaimed as she saw I-pin following Nari home.

"I don't know," Nari said before slamming the front door and walking out of sight into the kitchen.

_She's I-pin from China_, Tsuna wrote, having come down when he heard Nari's "I'm home!" yell.

"And she followed Na-kun home?" Nana glanced between the paper and I-pin before deciding she didn't care. "Well, okay then. Would you like to live with us, I-pin-chan?'

I-pin blushed, glanced at the kitchen, and nodded once at Nana, who smiled brightly and announced that dinner will be ready in ten minutes.

"Wait, what? Kaa-san, you can't let that girl live here! We already have Lambo, who I think we should throw out! I don't want another ten year old living with us! They're too immature!" Nari yelled, running out of the kitchen.

"What about me?" Lambo asked, rubbing his eyes as he walked down the stairs. He had fallen asleep once he and Tsuna got home and had just woken up.

"You're immature," Nari snapped.

"And you aren't?" Lambo countered.

"I'm five years older than you!" Nari yelled.

"That doesn't mean anything. Real mature people actually try to understand other people's circumstances before passing any judgment! And Tsuna-nii is the prime example of a mature person, unlike you, Baka-Nari!" Lambo shouted the last few words.

"What?! You-,"

"Ah...," I-pin cut through the fight and drew all attention to her, making her blush. "I-pin can't stay? I-pin no home..."

"Oh my, of course you can stay! Na-kun, of course we have room for I-pin-chan! You shouldn't keep trying the chase the children out! Ah, this house hasn't felt this lively for a long time! Fufufu, I'm so happy!" Nana squealed before skipping into the kitchen. The children all stared at her retreating back with shock and bemusement.

"Well, that's that, kids. I-pin, you should sleep in Bianchi's room. And Nari, I put the homework on your desk," Reborn said calmly although everyone could swear he was smirking. As Nari paled and ran up the stairs and Lambo walked off to show I-pin her room, Tsuna turned to Reborn.

_So, what happened to the target? And what was with I-pin and Nari?_ Tsuna signed. He had tuned out the conversation to finish his lunch once Reborn had interfered.

"Hmph. I-pin lost her glasses on the way, saw Nari, thought he was her target, tried to kill him, Kyoko found her glasses, sent it up during lunch time, I-pin found out she got the wrong person, apologized and said she'll do whatever she can to make it up to him. And of course, the original target is still alive and kicking," Reborn gave a quick summary.

_You checked? So how did I-pin end up here?_ Tsuna gave Reborn a skeptical look.

"I-pin said she'll follow him until he has a request, but apparently 'leave me alone' wasn't counted as a request. And yes, I checked. Why?"

_...Stalker,_ Tsuna signed a quickly ran up the stairs, leaving Reborn alone in the living room.

"Huhuhu. You'll regret saying that, Tsuna," Reborn said in an ominous voice.

And the next day, Tsuna went to school with bags under his eyes.

* * *

**Ha. So I rushed the second part. It turned out crappy, alright. And since I-pin is ten in this story, she looks more like a girl so there'll be no confusion as to whether she's a girl or a boy. Unless she was purposely dressing up and acting like a boy, of course.**


End file.
